A would-be Jihadi bride has been jailed for 15 months for encouraging a Birmingham man to travel to Syria to join Islamist rebel forces.

Angela Shafiq, aged 22, was imprisoned at the Old Bailey in London after being convicted of inciting Mohammed Nahim Ahmed to join rebels in the war-torn country.

Ahmed and Yusuf Sarwar, both 22, were arrested when they returned to the UK in January last year having been in Syria for eight months.

The pair were later jailed for a combined total of 25 years and two months.

As part of the investigation, detectives found conversations between Ahmed and Shafiq through online videos, instant messaging services and Skype.

Shafiq formed an online relationship with Ahmed over a period of months during which she encouraged and helped him in his preparations to travel to Syria.

The pair had never met in person yet she praised him for being an individual who was prepared to act and not just talk about his plans.

Details of the conversations, along with all of the information from the investigation, were put to the Crown Prosecution Service which decided there were grounds to charge Shafiq, of Hounslow, Middlesex.

She was convicted of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts in July.

“This case demonstrates the on-going challenge of individuals forming online relationships with those inspired to travel and join terrorist groups in both Syria and Iraq.

“Mothers and sisters are often the first to notice changes in the behaviour of their loved ones - be they sons, daughters, siblings or friends.

“Shafiq offered advice to Ahmed on how he could obtain a first aid certificate as a cover to go into Syria unchecked as an aid worker.

“This, along with her encouragement and support of his ideology to join an Islamist rebel group, were conversations which crossed the bar into a criminal offence.

“This is why it is so important that mothers, sisters and other family members are aware of who their loved one is talking to and crucially, what they are talking about, so we can give them the support they need to ensure they don’t overstep that mark.

“I’d urge families and communities to be alert to the signs and to raise their concerns now before it is too late.”

People who feel they may be potentially vulnerable to being drawn into terrorist-related activity, including travelling abroad to conflict zones should contact their local police for advice and support on 101.